Ed Norton's Life is "Way Too Good..." To Be Pissed At Marvel

"You wouldn't like me when I'm underpaid."

When I first heard that Ed Norton wasn't going to be reprising his role as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Joss Whedon's upcoming The Avengers, I was a little confused.  The Incredible Hulk performed decently well, and, at least to me, wasn't half bad (I worry more about Thor; so much could go wrong conceptually with that one.)  So why did Norton say no to a starring role in Avengers, which is likely to be Marvel's biggest franchise film yet?  

Norton sat down with MTV News the other day to discuss his decision, saying it was basically just "business."  Which I daresay is code for "they couldn't pay me enough."  I suppose it's better than what Marvel was giving the reason as...

You may remember that Marvel head Kevin Feige said Norton's exit stemmed from "the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members."  Ouch.  And then Norton's agent responds, alleging that Marvel is "unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory." Sigh. Girls will be girls.

I suppose the only reason Marvel allowed the truth behind Norton's exit to get buried in all this drama was because they were miffed he walked out over monetary concerns.  It's a good thing Mark Ruffalo works cheap, I guess.  

Check out the video below to see Norton discussing his decision with a fellow Leather Jacket Club member.  Did they shoot this at a Courtyard Marriot?

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